


Sheltered by the night

by icywind



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Convenient blizzard, Getting Back Together, M/M, Not entirely AOS canon compliant, Not entirely Phase Two canon compliant, Sharing Body Heat, Sharing a Bed, Things would be so much easier for everyone if they just used their words
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2015-12-18
Packaged: 2018-05-06 06:53:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5407184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icywind/pseuds/icywind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Years ago things had been good between Phil and Clint. On the professional front they worked amazingly well together. On the personal front things were a little complicated, but it was an enjoyable complicated.</p><p>Then Loki and New York. T.A.H.I.T.I. and the Fall of S.H.I.E.L.D.</p><p>Three years of radio silence.</p><p>After all that time apart, a milk run to a familiar town might not be as easy as it should be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sheltered by the night

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to [ereshai](http://archiveofourown.org/users/ereshai) for the beta. 
> 
> There is a very minor crossover with the Syfy series Haven in this - mainly for plot convenience. You do not need to have seen the show to understand it, and if you have I hope you like the Easter eggs. 
> 
> For Feelstide, Prompt #4 - staying warm.

 

 

“In hindsight, maybe we should have stayed back in town,” Phil said, trying and failing at sounding unconcerned as the snow outside whipped around in the strong winds. He could barely see the side of the road and no plow had been through yet to clear a path, making the going slow. Of course, they were on one of the back roads rather than the main highway in an effort to keep things a little more on the down low.

“My driving hasn’t deteriorated that much in three years,” Barton replied sourly, hands tense on the wheel and eyes alert.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it, Cl-Barton.” Phil sighed and only barely resisting banging his head against the dash. At least the mission was over before things got testy between the two of them.

They always had been good at being professional and compartmentalizing any personal issues.

“Yeah, well, coulda fooled me-oh shit!” A dark shape suddenly appeared in the road ahead of them and Barton was just able to maneuver around it. He was less successful at keeping them on the road, however, when they hit a patch of ice. A large tree loomed ahead of them and Phil felt the seatbelt tighten and the crushing impact of the car meeting the tree and then the airbag exploded before him.

 

~~20 Hours Earlier~~

 

“The report said something suspicious happened – almost as if the person had been “gifted.” Or, y’know, been Inhuman. I still don’t see why you won’t let me go,” Daisy said as she followed Phil down the corridor towards the hangar. They stopped just inside the entrance and he turned to face her.

“Look, Sk…” her lips pursed just a tiny bit and he silently berated himself –again- for the slip-up. “Daisy, I would love to have you on this mission. Hell, I’d love to let you lead this mission, but Haven is a strange small town. Very insular. They don’t much like or trust outsiders. And, for better or worse, I’ve got contacts there still – I have to be the one to go.” He watched with some apprehension as a quinjet taxied in. “Otherwise what should be a milk run ‘in and out in a flash’ mission could take days.”

“Okay, I can understand that part, but, who is going to have your back if something goes wrong? You know how our luck has been on milk runs lately.” 

Phil wondered briefly if she’d be so worried if he still had both his regular human hands. Probably. If there was one constant about Daisy within all the change around and to her, it was that she cared so deeply about everyone.

“May is still on sabbatical and Bobbi hasn’t been cleared for the field yet. Trip is busy in DC and Mack is helping Fitzsimmons track down where Lincoln went to ground.”

“Oh…I have someone,” Phil said with a look that was a cross between a grin and a grimace as the ramp on the jet lowered and Clint Barton stepped down. He looked good, Phil noticed more than a little wistfully. He’d seen more than a few pictures with official reports and videos on the news, but images like that could never hope to capture everything about Clint Barton. The power in his arms and shoulders. The way the fabric of his cargo pants lovingly hugged his thighs. The light in his beautiful kaleidoscopic eyes. There were a few new lines on his face but they only served to enhance his attractiveness in Phil’s eyes.

This was a terrible idea. 

“You get to run a two-man op with Hawkeye?” Daisy asked a touch of awe in her voice. “I’m a little jealous.” 

“Driving Miss Daisy – it’s good to finally meet you,” Barton said, dropping his bags at his sides to take her hand. “Mel and Bobbi have spoken quite highly of you.”

Daisy smiled with perhaps a faint blush at the praise. “I’ve heard a few things about you from them.”

“Oh?” Barton’s lips curled into an achingly familiar slightly flirty grin. “Anything good?”

“One or two things maybe.” She shrugged, the picture of nonchalance. 

“Well okay then, you’ll have to tell me what they are when this is all over.” Barton winked then turned to face Phil and all hints of flirty good humor vanished from his expression. “Coulson,” he intoned, his face terribly neutral, and Phil’s heart sank.

“Barton,” he replied, reminding himself that he’d chosen this. He’d brought this on himself. “It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, it has.”

“You look good.” Amazing, really, he wanted to say. Like everything Phil had ever wanted. Still wanted. Probably never would stop wanting when all was said and done.

“Thanks. You look…decidedly unlike a zombie,” Barton said, eyes flicking down to Phil’s chest then to his new hand in a split second. “Congrats on that, by the way.”

“Thank you,” Phil managed just before Barton asked-

“Is there a place I can stow my gear?”

“Sure. Right this way,” Phil held out his hand and Barton preceded him through the door. Daisy placed a hand on his arm and made a face at him expressing something along the lines of ‘what the fuck was that? What happened between you two? What the hell is going on?’ (Daisy had an impressively expressive face). Phil offered an apologetic grimace in reply – he’d explain later. Perhaps with the help of alcohol. 

Probably with the help of alcohol. 

Definitely with the help of alcohol.

Lots and lots of alcohol.

 

~~~

 

The mission briefing was simple and lasted both too long and not long enough for Phil’s liking. He and Barton leaning over files and sharing ideas on how best to approach things as they ate Chinese takeout felt easy. Too easy. All too familiar. A part of him half-expected to fall into bed together like they used to after they’d finished up and thrown out the empty containers. Let off a little pre-mission jittery energy. Instead, Barton had ambled off to the guest quarters with half a wave and Phil ended up spending his evening with a bottle of whiskey and his regrets. Thankfully Daisy was there as well to keep him from drinking too much. He did have a mission the next morning after all.

 

~~|~~

 

The flight to the tiny Belfast, Maine, airport was silent, though not awkwardly so, and the same applied to the drive down the coast to Haven itself. A braver man than Phil might have tried to use that time to try and talk things out with Barton. He tried to pacify the voice in his head urging for that with the notion that it was better to wait for the flight back after a successful mission.

In truth he probably would rather take Loki on again than tell Barton how sorry he was. How much he missed him.

Haven was pretty much the way Phil remembered it. A town that looked like a picture from a postcard at first glance, but as you looked closer you realized there was something lurking just out of the corner of your eye. The biggest change since their last visit was that Nathan Wuornos was now the Chief of Police rather than his father, and they had a new detective named Audrey Parker who was particularly adept at figuring out the peculiarities within Haven. 

The foursome spent most of the day traversing the town to locate the person from the reports Daisy had read. In the end, it turned out that Phil and Barton hadn’t needed to make the trip at all. The potential Inhuman was, in fact, one of Haven’s homebred gifted. A teenage boy that accidentally teleported things (and people) that startled him. High School being what it was, it wasn’t much of a surprise that he’d been the victim of bullies. A particularly nasty encounter engaged his gift and teleported his tormentor away. Luckily nothing was teleported into a void – just a cave far enough outside of town that it had taken the teleported people a day to work their way back. Mild dehydration was the only real injury sustained and Audrey had managed to help the boy calm his anxiety and promise to see a good therapist to help him.

“It’ll be easy to spin as a school prank in the press, no harm no foul,” Nathan said as they stood at their vehicles. The lazy snow that had begun earlier in the day was now coming down quite heavily. “Sorry you made the trip for nothing though I appreciate the heads up on the fish and fish oil. We’ve got enough troubles around here without people ending up in cocoons.”

“We’ll have the Glendowers keep an eye on things down below too, just in case,” Audrey continued for Nathan as he leaned into his truck to listen to a call on the radio. 

“This storms looking pretty bad – you sure you don’t want to stick around overnight?” Nathan asked, popping back out. “National Weather Service in Bangor upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning just now.”

“Nah, thanks though, we’ve got a pretty tight schedule,” Barton replied and Phil was glad his hat hid the way his eyebrow wanted to raise. “Belfast isn’t that far, we’ll make it there no problem and reassess.”

“Good luck guys,” Phil said as he got back into the car.

“Likewise. Oh and Coulson – I owe you pancakes next time you’re in town.” Nathan grinned from his open window. 

“Then I hope to see you soon.”

 

~~~

 

“Coulson? Coulson you okay? Phil? Talk to me!”

Phil coughed violently when he tried to speak and allay Barton’s concern then settled on nodding instead. “Yeah, I’m-” he sneezed. “I’m fine, you?”

“I’ll live,” Barton replied, removing his hand from Phil’s back to twist himself around to survey the interior of the car. “Well shit.” Phil glanced over at him then started to twist himself around to look, only to find Barton’s hand on him again. “Hold still. Just let yourself get your bearings again, okay? You hit your head pretty hard on that air bag and you know what that dust does to you. I’m gonna assess the damage, ‘kay?”

There was a rush of cold air and snow and then the door shut and Phil was alone. He craned his neck to watch Barton’s shadowed form move around the car. He sneezed again as he shifted around, checking for any bumps or bruises from the crash. Everything felt okay at least, so that was something. A cold breeze wafted across his neck – that would be what Barton had sworn about a second ago most likely – the rear window was cracked.

Barton slipped back into the car with another gust of wind and snow and from the look on his face the news wasn’t good. 

“This car isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Front axle’s snapped. It’s lucky we didn’t get injured worse taking on that giant tree out there.” He glanced over at Phil again. “You’re good, right?”

“Yes – head’s cleared up from the impact, sneezing,” as if on cue he let out another good one. “Well – not as bad as it could be. The fresh air is probably helping with that.” Phil glanced around. “I bet we could find something to block up the back window-”

“But the car won’t start so we’ll lose heat too quickly anyway.” Barton chewed his bottom lip briefly and despite the situation Phil found it as distracting as ever. “We passed that crumbling silo not too long before we crashed, which means there is a cabin off a little road about a mile ahead.”

It seemed as good an idea as any Phil could come up with – certainly better than trekking on foot all the way back to Haven anyway - and he nodded his agreement. They hadn’t brought much gear so it was short work to grab their bags, bundle themselves up as best as they could, and then set out for the cabin. 

The blizzard, and there was no use in calling it anything but that at this point, was increasing in intensity, making it difficult to traverse the small county highway. Perhaps the only benefit was that it was too cold to even think about attempting any small talk. And the silence wasn’t awkward because they were exerting too much energy just forging ahead. Roughly a mile into their trek, just as he had predicted back in the car, Clint turned them onto a small road that Phil would never have seen without him. Another half-mile later and he turned left down a completely invisibly footpath that led to a small clearing where a modest but sturdy looking cabin sat. In short order Barton was ushering him inside and lighting a lamp. 

“Survival cabin – you get a lot of hikers and hunters in the area. She’s not much, but, we can get a fire going and warm up. Contact SHIELD on the long range comms then sit tight and wait it out.”

“News isn’t good boss,” Daisy said over the long range comm. “That’s a damn nasty storm you guys found yourself in. There’s no way we could get anywhere near you even if we did have an extra pilot.”

“Oh for fucks sake – I can still fly a jet, I’m not an invalid,” Bobbi said in the background of the transmission. Behind Phil, Barton barked out an amused laugh as he puttered around stoking the fire and settling things within the cabin.

“Yeah, well, no one is flying in this storm. Not right now, anyway,” Daisy continued. “Maybe sometime tomorrow afternoon we can get to you if it lets up some.”

“Okay – thanks for the report, Daisy. We’ll hole up for tonight and reassess in the morning. If the phones are working by then we might be able to get some help from the locals. Otherwise, we’ll wait for your update.”

“Alright, hang in there Coulson. Johnson out,” Daisy signed off and Phil leaned back with a sigh. Stuck in a tiny cabin in the middle of a storm with Barton. A few years ago that would’ve been a wonderful stroke of luck. A mini vacation, really. Now though?

Now it would be one of the longest nights of his life and not in a good way.

“Soup’s on,” Barton said, gesturing towards the small wood stove. It wasn’t much, canned soup drank from cups, but it was warming and it was filling. Cleanup didn’t take Phil all that long and during it he thought he felt eyes on him, but every time he turned to look at Barton he was reading a book he’d pulled from his pack with the casual ease of someone who hadn’t been staring the moment before.

He’d probably been imagining it. 

With nothing really to do, and after having spent the better part of the day traversing the town, they agreed to just go to bed not long after dinner. The lack of space in the cabin coupled with the low temperature inside even with the fire going necessitated them sharing the bed. Years of working together had made them used to such things and Phil was hoping he could draw on his professionalism to get through the night. All he had to do was fall asleep and considering how tired he felt when he sat on the small bed that shouldn’t be too difficult.

An hour later he found himself staring at the ceiling. The lamp had long ago been extinguished, but, enough light still emanated from the fire to see clearly – especially once his eyes had adjusted. He’d thought at first it was perhaps the firelight that was keeping him from sleeping. However, turning his back to it meant his face was only inches from the back of Barton’s head. 

It had taken considerable will power to not nuzzle his face into Barton’s nape and breathe in his scent.

And while he didn’t give into that particular urge, there was another urge growing within him. Gaining more strength under the cover of darkness and ensconced in the cocoon of blankets they were sharing. He hadn’t been able to apologize to Clint in the harsh light of day, but maybe he could now…

“Barton, are you still awake?” Phil whispered into the dark. He didn’t get any reply, but, he’d spent enough nights at Barton’s back to recognize his breathing pattern was that of a man who was still awake. 

It was now or never.

“Barton. Clint – I’m so very sorry.”

Clint let out a heavy sigh and turned onto his back, his eyes open but not looking towards Phil. “Coulson, why couldn’t you just pretend to be asleep like me? We just need to make it to morning, get back to your base, and go our separate ways.”

“I just – I just want to apologize.” It felt like his heart was in his throat and he couldn’t breathe as the moments passed and Clint didn’t reply. Finally he nodded briefly and tilted his head ever so slightly towards Phil.

“I’m listening.”

“I got scared, okay? When we lost you to Loki I got scared and did something stupid. I went after him alone, figuring there was a very good chance I wouldn’t make it out, but I had to do something to get you back.” 

Clint turned his head a little further towards him.

“A part of me wants to take the easy way out and blame Fury for me not telling you I was alive-”

“But we both know he wouldn’t set you up with a ticking time bomb like that. Only a matter of time before Stark would’ve found out about you even without your big YouTube video,” Clint replied softly.

“Exactly.” Oh sure, it had been suggested that Phil’s potential instability was the reason the Avengers hadn’t been told, but in reality… “I asked him not to tell the Avengers – not to tell you and Natasha - about my resurrection, even when I thought what had been done to me was on the up and up, because I thought it would be better for you.”

Clint rolled onto his side to face Phil, a frown marring his features. “Phil – in what fucking universe would it be better for me to not know you were alive?” And then his brow furrowed. “I mean, shit, if you wanted to end things the least you could have done was leave me a letter or even a damn voicemail. Not by letting me think you were dead for over a year and then popping up alive but never bothering to contact me. I thought you were better than that. Better than the others. Maybe you are,” he muttered, edging onto his back again to stare at the ceiling to better hide his expression. It did little to mask the hurt though when he continued softly with, “Maybe it is just me then.”

“No Clint!” Phil reached out to place his hand on his chest. “It’s not you at all.”

“Then why?”

“I thought,” Phil took a deep breath, “I thought it would be better for you to have a clean start without me. I was pushing fifty and coming off a honest-to-God life-ending injury. Things could really only go downhill for me from there on out and I had hoped that maybe without me around for convenience sake you’d find someone to make you happy. Someone young and attractive like you. Someone you could build a future with.”

Clint gave a bitter chuckle that ended on a sob as he squeezed his eyes shut. ‘Jesus fucking Christ Phil. I never wanted anyone else but you.” Phil could track a tear sliding down his cheek in the firelight. “You’ve never been a convenient fuck for me and there will never be anyone better than you.” 

He turned back onto his side in an instant, eyes opening and glistening with unshed tears as he reached a hand out to caress the side of Phil’s face. “For years I’ve wanted nothing more than to build a future with you, but I never thought I would get that chance. I mean – what could sexy bad-ass Agent Phil Coulson want with an ex-carnie like me other than a roll between the sheets?” He drifted his thumb across Phil’s cheek to catch one of his tears. “The radio silence these past years pretty much cemented that idea for me. You have no idea how hard it was for me to get the call for this mission. I didn’t know what I was going to do when I saw you again.”

Phil had to take a few deep breaths as he took in the naked emotion on Clint’s face. God – they’d both been such fools.

“We’ve both been pretty stupid about this whole thing huh?”

“Let’s be honest – you a little more than me,” Clint replied. “But yeah – we should have been using our words a long time ago.”

That they should have. And it was that realization that spurred Phil on to say “I love you.” Clint’s beloved smile was more than enough reward for that bout of courage.

“I love you too,” Clint whispered against his lips before capturing them in a soft kiss. “So so much.”

 

~~~

 

The air against his skin was colder than he’d like and with a muttered curse, Phil tucked his face in against the warm spot where Clint’s neck and shoulder met.

“Whuzzat noise?” Clint muttered, arm tightening around Phil for a moment. 

“Hmmm?” Since Clint was now also nominally awake, Phil thought it was an excellent time to press some kisses down his collarbone. And nibble on the mark he’d left the night before.

“Nngha, Phil…” Clint tugged his hair a bit to get him to stop. “The noise – sounds like vibration? You getting kinky with your robot hand, Baby?”

Vibration?

Shit! Daisy…

And no sooner had he thought her name then the cabin door swung open revealing her, followed closely by Bobbi – who promptly cackled with glee and turned right around and walked out the door with an offhand “I’ll wait in the ‘jet,” while Daisy boggled a bit, then shut it behind her to keep the remaining warmth in the cabin.

“Well. That’s um – that’s one way to keep warm I suppose,” she said, eying their exposed shoulders above the blankets.

“Skin to skin contact is the best way to share body heat,” Clint replied, looking so damn smug Phil had to lean back in to kiss the corner of his mouth.

“Ahem – okay. Worked out that tension huh?” Her grin was more than a little impish.

“Oh, you have no idea.”

“Agent Barton, I think that’s probably quite enough,” Phil tried to sound as professional as possible – and probably failed by a mile thanks to the lazy drawl in his voice.

“I’ll just go outside and fulfill my life-long dream of making snow tunnels while you two get decent,” Daisy said as she stepped back outside.

“How long do you suppose we can stay in this blanket cocoon before Bobbi comes back with a pile of snow to dump on us?” Clint asked.

“Not as long as I’d like,” Phil replied, kissing him long and deep. “But I am sure we can recreate the situation back in my bedroom on base. I’ll even turn the heat down a little to give us more incentive to cuddle for warmth.” Clint’s answering smile was so radiant that Phil just had to kiss him again.

And again.

And again.

In the end, they barely made it into their clothes before the door opened in a flurry of snowballs. The ensuing fight left everyone wet and a little cold. The perfect excuse to share a nice warm bath, Clint had said.

Phil thought that was the best idea he’d heard in a while.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr at [redsector-a](http://redsector-a.tumblr.com/) because I am terrible at name branding.


End file.
